A Flowering Trust
by Sayuri Hakura
Summary: On the eve of her 16th birthday, Sakura Kinomoto makes a wish on a star. The next morning, an old friend comes to visit, and Sakura suddenly finds herself falling into a pattern, the same as her mother, Nadeshiko, as she falls for an older man. And then t
1. Have the Wish I Wish Tonight

"Sakura-chan? Sakura, wake up, you dozed off." Kero-chan's voice roused Sakura from her slumber, and she opened her eyes, blinking the sleep out of them, and staring dazedly up at small orange creature hovering a few inches above her face.  
  
"Hoe?" Shaking her head to clear it, she sat up straight, and promptly banged her elbow on the dresser she'd been leaning against. "Ow."  
  
"You okay?" Kero-chan floated down and landed on her lap, peering at her arm, which she was now rubbing furiously.  
  
"It's nothing," she murmured, yawning slightly, before pulling herself to her feet. "How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Not long," Kero responded, taking to the air again, before settling behind her math textbook, resting his paws on the edge. "You haven't finished your homework yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have woken you. You seem so tired lately."  
  
"Yes, well, junior year is hard," Sakura said defensively, squatting down next to her textbook, and feeling around on the floor for her pencil. "So much homework." She gave the textbook a disdainful look. "Too much."  
  
Before Kero had a chance to respond, Fujitaka's voice came up from downstairs.  
  
"Dinner, Sakura!"  
  
Gratefully leaving her homework, Sakura rose and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where her father was already seated at the table. "How is the work going?"  
  
"So much!" Sakura exclaimed. "But it's fine." She pushed her spoon around in her soup, not really feeling like eating. "How was your day?"  
  
"Good." Fujitaka, also, did not eat as readily as usual. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are you feeling well? You look." He fumbled for the word, looking from Sakura's face down to the table, and back again. "You look unsettled," he said finally. "Is anything wrong?"  
  
Sakura hesitated before answering. "It's not the same without Touya-kun."  
  
With a sigh, Fujitaka leaned forward. "Sakura-chan, he's been gone for a year now."  
  
"I know." It was Sakura's turn, now, to be interested in the table. "But he was always here on my birthday."  
  
"Why don't you call him?" Fujitaka asked reasonably, swallowing his mouthful of soup.  
  
"I did!" Sakura exclaimed. "I did. But he wasn't home. Brother is so busy, now."  
  
Shrugging, Fujitaka pushed away his bowl of soup. "Ah, well. Try again later. Are you finished?" Sakura nodded, and her father removed the soup bowl, depositing it in the sink, before doing the same with his own. "What are your plans for this evening?"  
  
"Just more homework." Sakura stood up, and turned to leave.  
  
"All right, but get some sleep," Fujitaka admonished, calling out to her as she climbed the stairs. "You don't want to be too tired tomorrow."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * An hour later, Sakura closed her book, and leaned back against her pillows, careful not to disturb Kero-chan, who was curled up beside her, fast asleep. Checking the clock, she discovered that it was already 11:00. "Sorry, daddy," she murmured, realizing she'd broken her promise not to stay up too late. Not that that was particularly uncommon these days.  
  
Tossing the book off the end of the bed, she snuggled down into her cushions, and rolled over on her side to look out the window. The sky was pitch black, now, except for one little star, shining off to the right of her vision.  
  
"Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight."  
  
This was silly, she thought, laughing to herself. Turning sixteen tomorrow, and she was still reciting little nursery rhymes.  
  
"I wish I may, I wish I might."  
  
Sakura missed those days when everything was all right, when she could smile, and laugh, and do silly things, and no one would care, because she was just a cute little girl. She missed being able to hug her stuffed animals when she was sad, and to sing little songs to herself when she was happy. There was much to be said, she decided, for being a little child.  
  
"Have the wish I wish tonight."  
  
And what would she wish for? In all honesty, there wasn't a lot that Sakura lacked. She was cute, with good friends, and a loving father. She went to a good school, and her grades weren't bad. She had nice clothes, and nice things.  
  
So she would wish for.  
  
"Someone to come, so I won't be lonely," she finished, on the end of a long breath.  
  
"Sakura?" Kero-chan was awake, his little eyes squinting at her out of sleepy lids. "Did you say something?"  
  
"No, no, nothing," she assured him, switching out the light. "Goodnight."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
For the first time in several years, Sakura woke up on time. Kero-chan was, frankly, astonished.  
  
"You sure have been acting strange lately," he commented, as she rummaged around in her drawers for her school uniform clothes. "Getting up early, finishing your homework on time."  
  
"What are you saying exactly?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows at Kero. He, intelligently, chose not to respond, but to go back to watching television in the corner.  
  
"Anyway, it's time I started being responsible," Sakura continued loftily, struggling into her skirt. "I am, after all, almost finished with high school, aren't I?"  
  
"You've still got two years to go," reminded Kero absently. "Don't get cocky yet."  
  
"Hmph." Swinging open the door, Sakura stepped out, turning and saying over her shoulder, "Maybe I just won't bring you breakfast then."  
  
"Hey!" Kero called after her, but she was already heading down the stairs.  
  
"Morning daddy!" She said cheerfully, hugging Fujitaka, who was at the kitchen counter, working on breakfast. "Morning mother," she added, turning to bow to the photo.and then stopping.  
  
The photo in the frame was not only of her mother, as it usually was. This time, her father was there, too, in his younger days, holding Nadeshiko's hand. They were laughing, and Nadeshiko was wearing a beautiful white dress.  
  
"This was directly after our wedding," Fujitaka said quietly, coming up behind her. "I don't think you've ever seen this one before, have you?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Mom was always happy, right up until the end, wasn't she? Even when she was sick?" She'd always believed, always wanted to think that Nadeshiko had been happy when she'd gone, so that she'd be happy in heaven, looking down, watching her children grow.  
  
"I think so," Fujitaka agreed. "She'd be so proud of you today, Sakura. Sixteen years old.she'd be so very, very proud of you." He hugged her again, and not for the first time was Sakura glad that he was her father, and that he'd stayed with her, and taken care of her all by himself, even after her mother died.  
  
"I love you, daddy," she said.  
  
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan." 


	2. The Snow Rabbit in the Moon

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo came running up to Sakura, her arms full of packages and books. "Wait, wait!" Sakura stopped as she made her way down the road from the school, turning around.  
  
"Slow down, Tomoyo!" she called, but it was too late. In her haste, Tomoyo tripped over a crack in the road, and went sprawling headfirst before her friend. "Ahhh."  
  
"Hoe! Tomoyo, are you all right?" Kneeling down, Sakura reached out a hand to help Tomoyo up.  
  
"Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you. Sorry." Scrambling to her knees, Tomoyo began to collect up her fallen things. Sakura helped, piling the many packages on top of each other, and handing them to Tomoyo.  
  
"What is all this?" she asked, as she worked.  
  
"It's for you!" Smiling widely, Tomoyo thrust the stacked parcels back at Sakura, who dazedly accepted them.  
  
"What.all of them?" Blinking, Sakura stumbled back and forth, trying to balance the weight of her many gifts. "But.Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Collecting up her schoolbooks, Tomoyo stood, still smiling. "And you're my best friend. So I'm giving you presents. What's wrong with that?"  
  
"You're giving me so many!" Sakura exclaimed, trying not to sound ungrateful. "I mean, thank you.thank you so much, but.did you spend a lot of money? Please say you didn't, it's not worth it."  
  
"It is," was all Tomoyo said. Then, "Can I come to your house? I'm not doing anything, and tomorrow is the weekend. We can celebrate!"  
  
Shaking her head in exasperation, Sakura smiled. "Of course, Tomoyo-chan. You're always welcome to come home with me. And tonight, daddy is making me a special birthday dinner. He hasn't said what it is yet, but I'm there will be enough for all. But.can I open some of these first? They might be easier to carry, then."  
  
Leaving the road, Tomoyo and Sakura found a bench outside a little shop, and sat down. Sakura took the first present off the pile and began to pull off the wrapping. It turned out to be a little basket of chocolates, covered with little heart and flower stickers.  
  
"I made them myself," Tomoyo commented with pride.  
  
The next few were all little things, little handmade necklaces, and a bottle of perfume. The perfume looked like it had been expensive, and Sakura wanted to comment, but Tomoyo just looked so happy, that she couldn't really find the words to do so. Resignedly, she picked up the largest parcel, and began to carefully peel away the paper, careful not to damage what was inside.  
  
Giving an appreciative gasp, Sakura reached in and pulled out a shimmery, gossamer thing, that ran through her fingers smoothly as she held it up before her. Unfolding it, she shook it out, and saw that it was a beautiful dress, undoubtedly also of Tomoyo's own creation. It was a delicate cream color, tied with red ribbons around the waist and hem.  
  
Tomoyo sighed as well, satisfied. "Do you like it?" She asked, when Sakura couldn't seem to find a way to say anything. "It took so long to make.but it will look so cute on you! You can wear it for our birthday celebration!"  
  
"Ahhh, Tomoyo." Unable to express her gratitude, Sakura threw her arms around her friend.  
  
"There, there," Tomoyo said, patting Sakura's head. "You're welcome. Now, we'd best get home, right? Then we can see how it looks on you!"  
  
Hand in hand, the two girls set off on their rollerblades for the Kinomoto residence. Sakura couldn't help remember the countless times she and Tomoyo had gone home this way, and how Touya and Yukito had almost always been waiting there with her father. Touya would help make dinner, and Yukito would help finish eating it. They'd all been a sort of extended family together, Touya, Fujitaka, Yukito, Tomoyo, and herself. Now that Touya and his friend were gone, it just wasn't quite right.  
  
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's voice broke through her reverie. "Are you quite all right? You look sad."  
  
"It's nothing," Sakura responded, with a little smile. "I'm just thinking."  
  
"About what?" Tomoyo cocked her head to one side and regarded her friend. "It's not good to be sad on your birthday."  
  
"I'm not sad," Sakura said, but left it at that. She trusted Tomoyo, and she'd always been able to talk to her. Still, she wasn't quite sure how to express her thoughts correctly. Tomoyo seemed to accept that, because she didn't continue with her queries, but simply smiled, and nodded, and looked ahead as they made their way up the driveway and towards the door.  
  
"Daddy, I'm home!" Sakura called, kneeling down to take off her skates. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, and, dropping her skates into a corner, looked up, smiling.  
  
"Hi Dad...dy." Trailing off, Sakura widened her eyes, as Tomoyo gave a little surprised, "Oh."  
  
"Sakura-chan," smiled Tsukishiro Yukito, bending down to help her up. "Happy Birthday!"  
  
"Yeah," Kinomoto Touya agreed, grinning widely from the threshold to the kitchen. "Ditto."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Seated at the table, a few minutes later, Sakura's mouth was still partially hanging open.  
  
"I had nothing to do with it," Fujitaka insisted, beaming at his son. "They just showed up on our doorstep."  
  
"Forgive us for intruding," Yukito said, with a small bow. Fujitaka waved his hand in dismissal.  
  
"Of course, it's no intrusion. It's good to see you both. And you, Tomoyo, sorry, I haven't greeted you properly yet." It was Fujitaka's turn to bow.  
  
"It's not a problem," Tomoyo said complacently.  
  
"H-how long will you be staying?" Sakura said finally, looking over at Touya.  
  
He shrugged, and glanced at Yuki, whose just smiled. "I don't know. A few days, at least. But enough about us. It's Sakura-chan's birthday celebration!" Digging in to his food, he winked over at the birthday girl.  
  
"Yeah," Touya agreed. "Let's eat!"  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Late that night, not everyone in the house was asleep. Kerberos perched, in his smaller form, on the railing downstairs, talking to a tall, silver- haired figure.  
  
"Why now, Yue? I thought everything was going smoothly," he said, sounding troubled.  
  
Yue snorted. "It's not," he replied curtly. "I gave her as long as I could. I assumed she would need some time to recuperate. But then, Tsukishiro wished to come here, and I decided not to dissuade him."  
  
"What's the problem then?" Kero fidgeted with his paws as he spoke, worrying, despite himself. Yue's visits, rare enough as they were, were not usually filled with good tidings. "And, as before, why now?"  
  
"I don't know 'why now,'" the humanoid replied, irritated. "It's impossible to avoid it any more. The girl has to know. She fought and obtained the original set of Clow Cards at the age of ten. Today is her sixteenth birthday, and she's certainly old enough to deal with whatever they throw at her. Besides," and he drew himself up, "She's not alone."  
  
"True," murmured Kero, with a little sigh. "I suppose a six-year respite is enough."  
  
Chuckling darkly, Yue nodded. "Undoubtedly. The girl probably needs some excitement in her life."  
  
There was a pause, and then Kero looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "Snow rabbit wanted to come here? Why? I'd think it was Touya who'd be eager to see his family again."  
  
"He was," Yue agreed. "But Tsukishiro missed the girl."  
  
"Oh. Well." And that was all that was said between them that night. But Kero couldn't help feeling a little foreboding about the whole thing. He wasn't even sure why, or where it came from. It was perfectly natural for old friends to wish to see each other again, wasn't it?  
  
So what was wrong? 


End file.
